clinton. [laughter] >> that's an inside joke, folks. >> let me turn to the subject at hand. i believe we're dealing with an important question in the south caucasus region which reps in a complex of the both regional alliances and conflicts, bitter rivalries, degrees of western orientation, desperate economic trajectories, and a potential venue for instability and even violence. in terms of you in the south caucasus region from the perspective of the subcommittee it is important to note some of our strongest instruments, the euro atlantic institutions of nader, the european union, have a weak presence, and, therefore, are not as relevant as they are in the balkans. ultimately this means that europe and the united states have less leverage in the region. this allows other countries in the region to compete or political, economic and military influence in the region. i'm looking for to hearing eyewitnesses discuss this issue today. really want to hear what you have to say. i believe that armenia